Knowledge and attitude towards antibiotic use and resistance among Arab population: a questionnaire-based study of 11 countries from the Middle East and North Africa

Abstract

Objectives Antibiotic usage has evolved over the years among the Arab population, and it has also gone under misuse resulting in the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Therefore, the current study aimed to address this issue by evaluating the level of knowledge and attitude of Arab population towards antibiotic usage and AMR to develop a pathway to reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out among Arab population, including 11 countries from the Middle East and North Africa. A validated and translated questionnaire, consisting of 34 questions, was adopted to achieve the study objectives. Two phases of data collection (online and offline) were performed, and SPSS was used for data analysis. Key findings Three thousand three hundred and nineteen participants were successfully recruited, and the mean age was 37.6 ± 11.73. Approximately 63% of participants wrongly answered they should stop antibiotics when they feel better, and 73.3% of them thought antibiotics could treat cold and flu. Nearly half of the respondents indicated that they were uncertain of how antibiotic resistance affects the body (48.1%), and they were unaware if it could affect them or their families (63.1%). While the majority of the respondents were prescribed antibiotics by a doctor, over half of them were not given any advice on how to take them. Our data showed a significant relationship between respondents’ demographic data (e.g. country, age and education) and their knowledge and attitude. Conclusions Participants had poor knowledge of antibiotics and AMR; thus, efforts are needed to conduct health campaigns in public places and create and implement programmes aiming to raise knowledge and awareness of people in the Arab regions. These could aid to curb the risk of antibiotic resistance and increase the chance of successful treatment for infectious diseases.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) on Antibiotic Use and Disposal Ways in Sidama Region, Ethiopia: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Survey

“…Residents of rural areas, females, participants with large family sizes, married, illiterate, and farmer participants had a very low level of knowledge compared to the other respective categories. Educational level, which is a very important sociodemographic factor, has been reported as an important predicting factor for the level of knowledge on antibiotic use and resistance in community-based studies by Karuniawati et al [ 18 ], Gebeyehu et al [ 20 ], Sindato et al [ 30 ], Hassan et al [ 56 ], and Di et al [ 58 ], which are in line with our results. Regarding the gender, Simegn et al [ 36 ] also reported that females had poor knowledge than males, which is in line with our result.…”

“…Based on the chi-square test, all sociodemographic characteristics, except that of family size, showed a significant association with the level of knowledge. It is well documented that sociodemographic factors highly influence the level of knowledge regarding antibiotic use and related issues [ 18 , 30 , 56 , 58 ], and the result of this study is thus in line with previous studies. Regarding attitude, all sociodemographic factors, except for the sex of the respondents, were significantly associated with the level of attitude.…”

“…Similarly, a study in Romania by Pogurschi et al [ 55 ] reported that only 29% of the study participants failed to complete the full course of AB treatment, which is still better than our study results. The variations between our study results and other studies could be attributed to the social settings including socioeconomic, cultural, and demographic variables as demonstrated by extensive studies by Hassen et al [ 56 ]. All of these attributes are potential factors for the emergence of ABR.…”

“…Antibiotic misuse and incorrect disposal practices are widespread problems [ 7 , 60 ] and pose one of the most serious public health problems, i.e., antibiotic resistance [ 11 ]. The most important factors for the aforementioned problems have been identified as a community's sociodemographic characteristics [ 26 , 56 , 58 ]. In this study, the degree of association of the level of KAP with antibiotic use, resistance, and disposal methods varied among the predictor variables.…”

Knowledge, perception, and attitudes of medical students towards antimicrobial resistance and stewardship: an observational cross-sectional study from Palestine

“…Approximately 25% of respondents believed antibiotics could treat viral infections, and there was a misconception that antibiotics always remain effective for treating the same infection in the future [ 18 ]. Another large study conducted Arab populations involving 11 Arabic country reported poor knowledge of antibiotic usage and AMR [ 19 ].…”